


our secret little place

by pennn



Category: Dan Howell - Fandom, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Phil Lester - Fandom
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-07 00:25:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6776785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pennn/pseuds/pennn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teenagers AU</p>
<p>Dan had his own little place. Until Phil showed up one day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	our secret little place

**Author's Note:**

> hello :D  
> apologies for not posting in quite a while  
> i have delved into the world of anime and manga... and that's consuming my time.. (msg/comment if you want some recommendations cuz good lord i do have a lot)  
> but anyway!!!  
> here's a fic i wrote a short while back  
> hope you guys like it
> 
> (it was inspired from a scene from an anime :P)
> 
> pen x

He ran.  
Dan ran like the wind. He ran like he flew—swift, elegant, pleasing to the eye.  
He was running away.  
Running away from reality.  
Running away from the inevitable fact that his only friend, his best friend, Phil Lester, was leaving.

 

It was most peculiar, the way they met.

Dan was in his secret place. He loved his secret hideout in the woods. He found it funny that no one had discovered it yet. It was a small clearing, surrounded by bushes that were tall enough to hide him from people passing by. It wasn’t anything special—there weren’t special toadstools or fairy rings, nor brilliant sunlight that would make things sparkle. It was a simple, quiet, peaceful area, where Dan could do whatever he wanted, away from judgemental looks, away from responsibilities, where he could be himself, truly.

Dan was most surprised when he saw a freckled boy sitting up against a tree reading a book when he arrived his precious place one day. He had stood there for a full minute before asking, ‘What are you doing here?’ and in turn, received a little laugh from the stranger.  
‘Can’t you see I’m reading?’ he replied in a bit of a northern accent.  
‘Who are you?’ Dan questioned, still in a state of shock.  
‘Phil Lester. I just moved here a few days ago, you see. I’m fifteen. Nice to meet you…’  
‘Dan. Dan Howell.’  
‘Nice to meet you, Dan.’ Phil smiled, holding his hand out for Dan to shake.  
Who even shook hands anymore? Dan wondered to himself, but the thought was quickly replaced with another one: Phil Lester has a very nice smile.  
‘Nice to meet you too, Phil.’

Three years passed by quickly with Phil by his side. They had clicked instantly—it was like their age gap didn’t even exist. Dan found himself looking forward to after school hours, when he could finally be himself in his—wait, no—their secret place. It wasn’t his anymore. It was his and Phil’s secret place. Their secret place.  
At that time, everything was perfect.

 

‘Hey, sorry I’m late. Stupid Mr. Jackson wouldn’t let us out.’ Dan said as he set down his bag beside the tree. It was early March, so even though it was barely six o’clock, the sun had already set. In the darkness, Phil was lying on the grass, arms crossed behind his head.  
‘It sure is getting colder. You sure you’re warm enough down there?’  
‘Mm.’  
‘Phil…is there something wrong?’ Dan asked tentatively, pulling his coat tighter around himself and lying down sideways, facing Phil. ‘You can tell me, you know.’  
Phil was silent for a while.  
‘The stars are quite beautiful, aren’t they?’ Phil whispered, his blue eyes never leaving darkened sky above them.  
Dan turned to look at the sky. Looking at them made it seem like they were staring into infinity itself. The sky was completely covered. They were subtle, yet magnificent at the same time; The sparks were striking, yet compared to those surrounding it, it became ordinary. How had Dan not noticed this before?  
‘Looking at the stars… it makes me feel at peace. It calms me down. Looking at them… it reminds me how small I am in the grand scheme of things. My troubles… they seem heavy to me, but they’re actually petty.’  
This time, it was Dan who kept quiet.  
‘I always come out here at night.’ Phil went on. ‘The darker it is, the more stars there are.’  
There was a pause. Dan hated the sinking feeling in his gut.  
‘Dan… As you know, I’m eighteen.’ Phil took a deep breath, and reached for Dan’s hand. ‘I’m eighteen, and I’ll be graduating this year. That means I’ll be going to college. And that means, I won’t be here anymore.’  
Dan tried his best to keep staring at one single star. He tried his best to not move a muscle. He tried his best to hold the tears in.  
_This was not happening._  
_This was not happening._  
_This was not happening._  
_This was not—_  
‘Dan, I’m leaving.’  
Everything stopped for one second. His head spun. His heart pounded in his ears. Tears blurred his vision.  
Then he ran.  
He shot up, snatched his hand away, grabbed his bag, and ran.  
Dan ran like the wind. He ran like he flew—swift, elegant, pleasing to the eye.  
He was running away.  
Running away from reality.  
Running away from the inevitable fact that his only friend, his best friend, Phil Lester, was leaving.

‘When?’  
Dan and Phil were sat in the clearing. Phil had texted Dan immediately after his abrupt departure, and the two had decided they were going to have a talk the next day.  
‘August.’  
‘How far is it from here?’  
‘Two hours by train, I think.’  
Dan held his cup of hot chocolate tightly between his hands, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.  
After a while, he lifted his head, and met Phil’s eyes for the first time that evening.  
‘You’ll come back, won’t you?’  
Phil nodded. ‘I’ll always come back. I’ll always come back to you. Promise me: On December 31st, five minutes before midnight, wait for me here. Here, in our secret little place.’

Time seemed to move too quickly from then. All too soon, it was Phil’s graduation. In the blink of an eye, it was August. In tear-streaked faces, Dan and Phil said their temporary goodbyes.  
‘Remember our promise.’ Phil whispered as he hugged Dan. ‘Our secret little place.’  
At that, Dan only hugged him tighter than ever.

 

31st December  
Two minutes until midnight and Phil still hasn’t shown up. Dan was leaning against the tree—the same tree Phil was sitting against when they first met. He sighed, and looked at his watch.  
One minute.  
So much for promises, he thought. Him and Phil hadn’t been in contact much since he’d left. It was mainly skype calls once every two weeks, or occasional letters exchanged here and there.  
Dan missed him. Dan missed him so much.  
He glanced at his watch.  
Thirty seconds.  
He closed his eyes.  
In the distance, he heard people chanting, counting down the final seconds of the year.  
‘Three! Two! O-‘  
‘You didn’t think I’d forget, would you?’ he heard Phil grin, and then he kissed him, full on the lips.  
‘No. Never.’ Dan replied, before laughing and hugging Phil tightly.

It was his secret little place that brought them together—of course, it would be their secret little place to bring them together once more.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!!  
> well i hope you guys liked it!  
> please tell me what you think about it :) comments are highly appreciated :D
> 
> until next time then!  
> (there might be a chaptered one coming but i'm not sure :D)
> 
> pen x


End file.
